[GoatGirl123]

Especially Bella and Rocky right now! They're a six month old doeling and a two month old buckling, and we separated them from they're moms last night! (As you can probably tell, I haven't done this very many times before.) We're going to sell them really soon, and they have to get used to being separated, but the poor things were so unhappy! (Well, actually, Bella and her mom weren't yelling, but they did go right next to each other as soon as they were allowed to be together.) Rocky and Sundae, however? Sundae sounded like she would lose her voice, she was so loud, and Rocky just kept squeaking back at her. It sounded so sad! (Actually, that was only this morning when I was about to let them go back together; I'm pretty sure they did sleep the whole night.) As a farmer, I shouldn't feel like this, but really, they're more pets than anything (for now, until we start milking them.) We have sold two kids before, but it was hard then, and it'll be hard now. Especially since they'll probably go to different farms; the two we sold before went to the same home because they were both whethers, or at least one was and the other was going to be. This time, they'll go to separate homes because nobody wants a buck and a doe together, LOL. And anyway, they would be separated as soon as they got there; Bella with the does and Rocky with the bucks.
Do any of you feel this way? Or did you, when you were relatively new to goats?
- GoatGirl

 

[TRAILRIDER]

I usually have a bunch of babies to put together at one time. They don't make much fuss. Now, when I have to take kids away to get them disbudded and they are only a few days old ..... that's another story! But all is good again as soon as they are reunited.

 

[Caprice Acres]

It's better if they're separated with a bunch of friends, I agree... and far away from their dams. Personally, I'd rather wean and sell all at once for my sanity (and I think it's actually a little less stressful personally - they can't hear each other and the event is over in one swoop, rather than stressed for separation when they can hear each other, and THEN sold), but when I dam raised I offered to do it however the buyers wanted.

This is also why I like bottle raising.

 

[GoatGirl123]

Since we don't have very many kids, last night we put Bella and Rocky with Lily, Lulu, and Clover. They definitely weren't alone . . . they just weren't with Sundae and Annabeth (well, and Luna and Hazel; we separated them half and half so none of them got cold with nobody to snuggle with.)

 

[msscamp]

It doesn't matter how many times you've done it, weaning kids is a difficult time for all concerned - people and goats. I hate weaning time, but it is a necessary evil.

 

[Clovers_Clan]

I dam raise and pen kids at night to milk does. IMO the separation is easier at that point, they do cry but aren't yet susceptible to stress related parasites problems the way they are at weaning. They sleep so much when they are that young that they don't cry themselves hoarse either. It does take about a week before they settle but hey become so accustomed to the nightly separation they don't even seem to notice weaning when the time comes.

 

[wintrrwolf]

I waited to wean Penelope until I got Vanilla else she would have been all alone. Normally I dam raise with putting them up at night and milking in the morning, if they have a cuddle pal they do just fine. Penny's dam Feline didn't mind at all when I pulled and bottled Penny, she loved being milked twice a day (one goat that is no fool).
Weaning is hard across the board, shoot I have a banty hen that hatched out 2 chicks and adopted the 5 my incubator hatched 2 months ago, some of these chicks are almost bigger than her and she is still mothering them...

 

[GoatGirl123]

Due to miscommunication in the family, we're now back to putting them all together at night, LOL. @mygoat, we did that last year and it worked, so we might just do it again.

 

[dozedotz]

We have always pulled the kids at birth...so I always felt deeply, deeply sorry for the moms who went through all that work and then lost their precious little ones to us!! However, now that we have cut way, way back and will allow the remaining dams to raise their kids I am really looking forward to that! Last year we had a buckling that we thought would be a meat boy but were pleased when a customer wanted him for a herd sire. We had to pull him from his mom at 3 weeks. It actually was not a problem (could have been a fluke). He went for the bottle without a problem and seemed happy to be with the other kids. His mom took it well, too. THAT would be great if we have to do that ever again...fat chance! lol

 

[GoatGirl123]

We've had six kids born so far . . . single, twins, twins, and single in that order. The first time, in 2013, we kept the kid (a buckling) and separated him from his mom at exactly eight weeks old (he was showing interest in breeding our does.) Annabeth, the mom, took it reeeally hard, and so did the kid, so we heard pitiful yelling for a few days, and now they don't recognize each other. The second time was in March, with twin bucklings. One of them died, and the person who wanted to buy both of them because she didn't have any other goats, decided she would take the buckling born in April. So we sold the two bucklings at the same time. Hazel, the mom of the older kid, yelled for a couple hours and then gave it up, and Annabeth (she kidded both years) didn't seem to notice a kid was missing because she still had her doeling. The bucklings yelled for a couple hours too, then totally forgot and settled into their new home. Now we still have those two kids . . . hopefully they'll sell soon. I'm not sure how popular doelings that can't be bred yet but aren't really kids anymore are . . .